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Effectiveness of Online Discussions in Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills
Asma Zafar
Abstract:
Online discussion is a major instructional component of e- learning. It promotes
students’ critical thinking about course materials and thereby sharpens their higher
order thinking skills (HOTS). In this context, this study documents the perceived
effectiveness of Graded Discussion Board (GDB) discussions in the Psychology courses of
Virtual University of Pakistan (VUP). The main objectives of this study were (i) to find
out whether GDB discussion facilitate in developing HOTS among students or not and
(ii) to determine the effectiveness of GDB discussions in enhancing their analytical and
problem solving abilities. The data was collected through an online survey. The sample
size was 78 enrolled students in three psychology courses: Clinical Psychology (PSY 401),
Abnormal Psychology (PSY 404) and Sport Psychology (PSY 407). Descriptive statistics,
one-sample t-test, and independent sample t-test were used to analyze the data. The
results of the study revealed that GDB discussions enhance students’ subject-related
knowledge as well as help them in sharpening their analytical skills. This study by
focusing on the role of GDB discussions in enhancing students’ HOTS is also expected to
provide e-educators and policy makers a food for thought to look for innovative methods
of polishing subject specific cognitive skills of students particularly in an e-learning
environment.
Keywords:
Online Discussion, Higher Order Thinking Skills, Graded Discussion Board, Critical Thinking, Cognitive Skills.
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